Today Scott Burns shares with us an original drawing by Ronald Searle. He reports picking it up at "a flea market about 40 years ago for $75." Sweet deal. The artwork measures 13” x 18” and is executed in pen and ink. It depicts a dancing Ebenezer Scrooge and it most likely is an early concept drawing stemming from Searle's work on the titles for the 1970 musical feature "Scrooge." It does not appear to have been drawn on the set or, for that matter, published.
Photo by Scott Burns
Searle's 1970 sketchbook image from the set depicts Albert Finney in the title role dancing. This is a very different Scrooge and it reflects how the character appeared on screen in the production.
Note: My thanks to Scott Burns! This is his fourteenth contribution to Attempted Bloggery. Without people like Scott, this blog would be nothing but humbug.
The new screen adaptation of John le Carré's 1974 novel Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is now playing in theaters. George Smiley, once played on television by the superb Alec Guinness, is now played on film by another fine character actor, Gary Oldman. In the intervening three decades, we've truly entered the digital age, and the means of producing much promotional artwork has changed radically.
I really like the quiet intrigue of the 1980 television campaign by Richard Hess,but I suppose Hollywood doesn't think such a thoughtful, staid approach can sell movie tickets today. The current film's posters are attention-grabbers, using the digitally-manipulated photographs to suggest a variety of moods, the principle poster showing a thrilling intensity. Both approaches are valid, but you would be forgiven if you didn't recognize that both productions sprang from the same book.
Richard Hess, Alec Guinness as George Smiley, The New Yorker, September 29, 1980
Colin Firth, 2011. I've shown this poster in larger dimensions to give an idea of the detail. Note that there are a few key words scattered among the digits.
Paul Smith's 2011 limited edition print, one of four created concurrent with the recent theatrical release, reprises Richard Hess's visual chessboard theme from 1980, a theme taken directly from the novel.
